Grooming anxious dogs

A dog that panics on the table is not being “difficult” for the sake of it. Fear has reasons — a bad past visit, slippery flooring, a noisy dryer, or simply never having been handled — and it is better to plan around that than to push through it.

At home, keep sessions short and predictable. Let the dog sniff the brush. Handle one paw and stop. Feed during the process, not only after a struggle. If your dog growls or tries to snap, that is information, not a cue to hold them down. A veterinary or behaviour professional can help if the fear is severe; a website is not a behaviour plan.

In a salon, tell us the truth before the appointment: what your dog finds hard, whether they have ever bitten, and what has helped in the past. A shorter visit, more breaks, or a slower introduction to the dryer can be kinder than insisting on a full finish in one go. We don’t offer home-visit grooming as a way around that; the visit, if you book one, is still at our Banbury salon.

Call us to talk it through before you book. We would rather have an honest conversation than surprise a frightened dog — or a surprised owner — on the day.